2. Pour 3 cups of freshly ground whole wheat flour over wet ingredients. (Nutrimill Home Grain Mill is an excellent grain mill if you are interested in grinding your own grain.)

3. Cover and mix on level 1 in the Bosch mixer for 1 minute

4. Add salt and continue mixing on level 1

5. Add flour about 1/2 cup at a time until the dough does not stick to the sides of the bowl and looks like the right texture

6. Once the right amount of flour has been added, cover and turn the Bosch mixer to level 2 and mix for 6 minutes

7. When the 6 minutes is up, pour a small puddle of canola or olive oil on your work surface, remove the dough from the mixer and knead dough 3-4 times on the oiled surface. Add raisins and walnuts while kneading. Do not add additional flour when kneading.

8. Then separate the dough into three round loaves. Pound them each on the table a few times to remove air bubbles.

9. Allow loaves to rise for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees during this time.

10. Once dough has risen, mark with a knife and dust with flour if desire. Bake for about 30 minutes, till golden brown and a hollow sound when you knock on the top of each loaf.

I spread a thin layer of the soup over a piece of whole wheat flat bread or tortilla, then spread a layer of Quinoa, freshly chopped green onions, cilantro, fresh spinach, grated pepper jack cheese and some salsa.

You could easily used plain black beans and roasted sweet potatoes instead of the leftover soup that I used.

Directions:
1. Oil a baking sheet with sides
2. Put the flour in a saucepan. Gradually whisk in the water. Then whisk in salt, pepper and olive oil. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent lumps, and then cook, stirring until mixture is thick and smooth, about 5 min.
3. Pour the hot mixture into the prepared baking sheet. It should form a layer no more than 1/2 inch thick. Let cool completely. It will be quite firm.
4. Invert the pan onto a cutting surface. Cut the chick pea sheet into strips about 1/2 inch by 2-3 inches.
5. Poor Peanut Oil into a deep saucepan to a depth of about 2 inches. When oil is hot, add strips, a few at a time; do not crowd the pan. Fry til golden brown, 2-3 min. Be careful....I burned my fingers!
6. Using a slotted spoon remove fritters to paper towels to drain and continue with remaining fritters. Arrange on a plate, sprinkle with salt and pepper, serve warm.

directions:1. Pour warm water in a small bowl. Sprinkle yeast, sugar, and 1 Tb flour over surface of water. Stir til dissolved and let stand at room temp. until foamy, about 15 min.2. Mix: In a large bowl, place oil, salt, 1 c. flour, and yeast mixture whisk hard until smooth, about 2 min. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 c. at a time, stirring with wooden spoon until soft, sticky dough forms that just clears the side of the bowl.3. Knead: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead to form a springy ball, dusting with flour when needed, about 3 min. The dough should be soft and springy. Form the dough into a flattened ball. (Optional - add seasonings to dough at this time...basil, rosemary, ect)4. Place dough in a greased deep container. Turn once to coat the top and then cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temp. until tripled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. (The dough may be refrigerated overnight at this point. Let stand 45 min at room temp. before proceeding if you refrigerated the dough.)5. Prepare toppings while dough rises. Preheat oven to 500 degrees at least 20 min. before baking. Put pizza stone in oven while preheating if using one.6. After dough has risen, shape dough onto pizza pan (sprinkle both sides of dough with cornmeal if desired), pizza stone or cookie sheet.7. Bake crust 5 min. at 500 degrees. Remove from oven, top the pizza and then return to over for 5-10 more minutes til dough is crisp and pizza toppings are warm and melted.HummusBlend together in a blender or food processor:1 - 16 oz can garbanzo beans, 1/2 c. tahini, 1/4 c lemon juice, 1/4 c. water, 3/4 tsp salt, 3/4 tsp cumin, and 2 cloves of garlic crushedOptional: add kalmata olives or red bell peppers

Hummus Pizza1. After crust has baked 5 min. Remove from the oven.2. Spread a layer of hummus over crust3. Top with a variety of Mediterranean toppings, suggestions: red peppers, red onions, kalmata olives, feta cheese, spinach, egg plant (The red peppers, onion and egg plant can be roasted first for 5 min or so to ensure that they are tender)4. Top with mozzarella or feta cheese, return to oven for 5-10 minutes5. ENJOY!

Directions:
Gently mix all ingredients (except lemon juice and oil) in a large bowl. Once ingredients are mixed, add lemon juice. Chill 1 hour to blend flavors, toss again and add olive oil. Serve in a mound of lettuce.

Directions:
1. Rinse Quinoa and transfer to a sauce pan.
2. Pour 2 cups of milk over Quinoa and bring it to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Add apple, raisins, and cinnamon then simmer for 5-6 more minutes or till liquid is absorbed. (Remove cinnamon stick)
4. Serve in small bowls and drizzle with honey or maple syrup and remaining milk.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Ezra is starting to eat a wider range of foods. We have just recently added red lentils to his menu. I chose red lentils because I love them, we have a lot of them, they are inexpensive and they are easy to cook. When you are picking lentils keep in mind that there are different varieties. Red lentils work well for babies since they cook fast, get quite mushy and are supposed to cause less gas than other lentil varieties.

Earlier in the week, I had baked a squash, pureed it, then froze it into cubes.

Today, I cooked the red lentils...I simply put about 2 cups of lentils and 2 cups of water into a sauce pan. I brought the water to a boil, then simmered the lentils for 20 minutes or so, till were good and mushy.

Then I simply mixed two thawed squash cubes with a few tablespoons of cooked lentils and a dash of coriander.

We had a meeting at our house last night and we enjoyed Reuben Sandwiches, Oven Roasted Potatoes and Guinness Cake in honor of St. Patrick.

I have enjoyed Reuben Sandwiches on many occasions, but last night was the first time that I actually made them myself and my efforts turned out a success. Just ask our guests from last night...unless they were just being polite?!?

I would like to say that I had made the bread as well, but it just is not true. Instead I defaulted to Johnston's Bakery in Sheboygan. They make quite a large variety of rye breads...Black Russian, Jewish Rye, Berlin Rye...and more that I can not recall. I did bake Black Russian Rye bread on Monday, hoping to use it for the Reubens, but it just did not turn out well enough for sandwiches. It was delicious in flavor, but dense and flatter than I had hoped. This often happens to me when I try a new bread recipe for the first time as well as having a full house of visiting brothers and a crying babe. So, it was not the recipe....it was me. So, I am thankful for a local bakery full of delicious breads.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

The Moby Wrap truly has been one of those, "don't leave home without it," additions to our baby gear. The Moby seems complicated at first, since it is a 6 foot chunk of knit fabric. However, the Moby Wrap has one basic way to wear the wrap, then there are many different ways to position your babe inside the wrap. Once you get the basic tie down, the wrap can basically be tied on in your sleep. (And since "sleep deprivation" best describes the first couple months of parenthood, it is good to be able to do things in your sleep.)

I'm so cozy...I think I'll pick my nose.

I love that the Moby Wrap creates a soft, cozy, warm and secure place to carry your infant. Ezra has taken many naps out-and-about in the Moby whether we were at church, grocery store, a friend's house, coffee shop or just out for a walk. Inside the Moby, your babe is close to you and protected from the outside world...and mostly protected from the intrusive strangers at the grocery store that want to kiss your baby. We used the Moby with our son from birth to about 4 months regularly. Now that Ezra is 8 months old we mostly use the Ergo Carrier, but the Moby does still work well up to 35 pounds.

The Moby Wrap rolls or folds up to easily fit into your diaper bag. I like that this wrap is very easy for on-the-go parents. In our current apartment a stroller needs to be stored in the basement, so anytime we would want to use it, it first needs to be hauled up the stairs. I would much rather tie on the Moby than battle a stroller up the stairs while also caring for my little one. A Moby is also for all terrain walking...there is no way a stroller can hike through the woods, stroll on the sandy shore or roll over snow mounds. I can only think of a few instances where a baby carrier would not be the ideal mode of transportation for my baby.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

As springtime is on the way, I feel compelled to read "spring" books to Ezra. One of our favorites is, In My Meadow, by Sara Gillingham (author) and Lorena Siminovich (illustrator).

Our favorite part of this book is the finger puppet that shows through on each page. What a great way to get your little ones excited about books. The story takes you through the bunny's meadow and leads you to the bunny's burrow where he snuggles up to take a nap surrounded by those who love him most, his family. This board book is sturdy enough for little fingers to explore and loaded with bright cheery pictures to captivate young audiences.

There are other books in this series including: In My Den, In My Tree, In My Pond and In My Flower.

Ezra is eating a lot more foods now that he is 8 months old. Cooking for him is becoming so much more fun now that I can blend flavors and add spices. According to many sources, 8 months is when you can begin adding protein, wheat and limited dairy to your baby's diet...if your baby is ready. Ezra has started eating a small amount of organic plain whole milk yogurt (we usually by Stoneyfield). Ezra has also become more interested in finger-foods. So, he has just begun nibbling on small pieces of homemade whole wheat bread and rice cakes. He does a great job chewing his food, considering that he only has two teeth. I think the Teething Feeder has really helped him figure out how to "chew."

What is Ezra eating for breakfast these days in addition to breast milk?

Oatmeal with mashed banana, bluberries and cinnamon

Oatmeal with organic applesauce and a spoonful of organic plain yogurt

Organic applesauce, mashed banana and cinnamon with a spoonful of organic plain yogurt

Morning Snack?

Breast milk

An apple, mango or pear cube in his Teething Feeder

What is Ezra eating for lunch in addition to breast milk ?

Pureed squash mixed with pear and cinnamon and a few cubes of whole wheat bread

Pureed carrots mixed with organic applesauce and a few small pieces of rice cake

Cooked and mashed sweet potato mixed with blended brown rice and a few fruit cubes in his Teething Feeder

Organic whole milk yogurt with a dash of fresh, chopped mint and whole wheat bread cubes and a few pieces of fruit in his Teething Feeder.

Afternoon Snack?

Breast milk

An apple, mango or pear cube in his Teething Feeder

A few cubes of whole wheat bread or a few small pieces of rice cake

What is Ezra eating for dinner in addition to breast milk?

Pureed green beans, mixed with blended brown rice and a pinch of basil

Cooked and mashed peas blended together with brown rice noodles and a dash of oregano

This book encourages creative thinking and imaginative play. It quite literally challenges children and parents to "think outside the box."

Throughout this book, the narrator continues to ask the bunny why he is sitting in the box or looking at the box...or like the picture above "Are you still standing around in that box?"

Then in response to the narrator, the bunny answers time and time again, that it is "not a box." The pictures in the book show what object or objects the bunny is imagining the box to be each time.

In the picture above, the bunny says, "It's NOT, NOT, NOT, NOT a box!" But, rather he is pretending that the box is four very different modes of transportation that he is travelling in through his day dreams and enjoying tremendously.

God has given us and our children such tremendous imaginations. Chances are that when our little ones see a plain old brown box that in fact their minds are already picturing many other adventurous things. But, simple books like, Not a Box, may help us as parents to remember to be playful and encourage the God given creativity that our children already possess.